Assassin's Curse (23 page)

“And that’s just it,” Natasha said.
 
“She stares into her crystal and hopes to see flashes of the future, but she never does.
 
She sees clouds on the horizon, looks into her crystal, and predicts rain.
 
Earlier today, she claimed she saw the silhouettes of two young girls, conveniently faceless, with long hair and a dark cloud hanging over their heads.
 
That’s supposed to mean that death follows wherever they go, but it is all very vague and subject to her interpretation.
 
She is weak in the power and uses anything to bolster her standing within the family.
 
More likely, her vision was the result of something she ate.
 
She had the vision after she ate this morning.”

Keisha tried to hide a smile at her mother’s comments, but didn’t fully succeed.
 
Jeda tried to smile as well, but remembered that it was early this morning when he decided to take the turn that led them here.
   

Could this woman have actually seen something about my girls
? Jeda thought.

Natasha saw the concern written on Jeda’s face and put a comforting hand on his arm.
 
“Do not worry about my sister,” she reiterated, smiling benevolently.
 
“I told you that no harm would come to you while you are my guest and under my protection.
 
A family welcome is exactly that, a welcome to join with our family and be one with us.”

Jeda felt the familiar feeling crawling up his back, warning him of impending danger.
 
He would have to keep his eyes open while they stayed here, and Mirabelle would have his utmost attention.
 
“Thank you.
 
That is most kind of you.”
 
He looked past Natasha to the other side of the camp and saw Mirabelle staring suspiciously his way.
 
“Hmmm, I guess we can add her to the list of people that don’t like us.”

“You really needn’t worry about Aunt Mirabelle,” Keisha said.
 
“She’s always like that.
 
Always claiming that something bad is about to
happen,
never sees anything good from her crystal.
 
Once in a while she actually gets something right and that just strengthens her belief that she can see the future.
 
Like Mother says, it’s just a coincidence.”

Jeda gave Mirabelle one last look and secretly wondered how much of a coincidence her vision really was.
 
He turned his attention back to the twins, ignoring the warning bells for the moment.
 
They needed a place to rest tonight and this was the best he could hope to find for his girls.

Mave woke up as the young apprentice entered his room.
 
The last few days of staying in bed had done wonders for his health, but kept him in a foul mood.
 
Mave had never been one for sitting around while others did his work.
 
“What is it?” he asked irritably.

“Brother, the masters have requested your presence,” the young apprentice answered.
 
“It is of the utmost importance.”

Well, well, well, seems I might just have something they still need
, Mave thought.

“I was also instructed to tell you that if you are unable to make the trip due to your injuries, then I am to assist you.”

Mave looked at the young man with cold, hard eyes.
 
The last bit of the message was the masters’ subtle way of telling Mave that he was still not back in their favor, but they wanted to talk to him.
 
We shall see how long that lasts.

“Get out while you can still walk, boy,” Mave threatened.
 
“The day I need your help is the day you bury me.
 
Tell the masters I am on my way.”

Without a word, the young apprentice turned and departed, leaving Mave to struggle into his clothes and make his way to the Grand Masters’ Council Chambers.
 
It took him longer than expected and when he finally arrived outside their chambers, he was sweating and had to pause to catch his breath.
 
Maybe that healer was right.
 
I do need more time to heal.
 
Damn witches.

After a few moments, Mave composed himself enough to knock on the outer chamber door.
 
It was immediately opened and he was ushered into the inner sanctum, where the masters sat around a semi-circular table.
 
The Grand Master of the School of the Sword sat in the middle and motioned for Mave to take the chair in the center of the room.

“Please brother, sit down.
 
We know how extensive your injuries are and we do not wish to overly tax you.
 
You need to get your strength back so you may continue with your mission.”

Mave knew if the masters were calling him when he was still recovering from his wounds, then something untoward must have happened.
 
So they do need me.
 
This should be interesting.

“I am at your command, Master,” Mave replied with a slight bow of his head.

“Enough with this posturing, brother” the master continued.
 
“You know we would not have called you here had not something dire happened.
 
The team we dispatched to follow the trail your target left has met with some unforeseen difficulties.”

“They are all dead?” Mave asked, leaning forward in his chair.

“No; one lived to tell the tale.”

“Was it the same witch who nearly killed me?”

“No, this was a group of witches, ones that we had not previously encountered.
 
This group of witches followed a different tenet than the good sisters of the coven we know.
 
These witches had no issue with killing or eliminating anyone in their way.
 
They attacked the team as they were scouting a small village named Mount View.
 
The team was asking discrete questions about the traitor and the kidnapped infants when the witches fell upon them.
 
There were too many of them and all of them were elementals.
 
They nearly killed the entire team, but one was left alive.”

“What of the witches?
 
Were any killed or injured?”

“Not a scratch on any of them. Our brothers never had a chance.
 
The witches left one brother alive so he could come back to us and deliver a message.”

Mave’s interest was decidedly piqued.
 
“What was the message?”

“It was just two words to be delivered directly to us--
Stay away
.
 
Our brother had been put under a compulsion spell to make sure he delivered their message.
 
Once he delivered the message, he collapsed before us and died from his wounds.
 
We are amazed that he lived long enough to find his way back to us.”

Mave sat back in the chair and contemplated the news.
 
He had told the masters that witches had been somehow involved, but whether or not they had believed him back then, they certainly did now.
 
“It would seem that there is a bit more to these twins then we were previously told,” he finally replied.

“Indeed, it seems so,” the master said.
 
He leaned forward in his chair.
 
“Once you have recovered from your wounds, we want you to hunt the traitor again and bring the twins back to us.
 
They are worth more to us now than ever before.
 
These witches that hunt the twins do not realize the new enemy they have made by killing our brothers.
 
Now that we know another group hunts the twins, we will give you unlimited resources.
 
This has become a matter of guild honor.”

Mave smiled to himself.
 
It was not so much an apology for ignoring the warnings, but more of a reinstatement of his previous standing in the guild.
 
He was back and he intended to make the most of this situation.

Those witches do not know what they have done.

***

Elizabeth sat back in her chair looking at the latest message from Mount View.
 
She wasn’t sure how the events in that little, misbegotten village could have gotten worse.
 
First, it was the local healer getting killed and now this.

The place must be cursed.
 
It is the only answer.

The latest message from her group of followers told of their encounter with a team of assassins, of all things.
 
The team had been asking questions about the twins and her followers thought it wise to eliminate them.

Of all the unmitigated, senseless things she had encountered, this was by far the worst.
 
Not only did they kill a group of elite assassins, but they also put the sole survivor under a compulsion spell to go back and tell his superiors to
stay away.
 
None of them had any clue
whom
they were really dealing with or that their thoughtless act was, in fact, a declaration of war.

I am surrounded by idiots
!

***

The cook began to ring the dinner bell announcing that the food was ready.
 
In short order, the entire camp had lined up to get a share of the savory fare.
 
Jeda began to rise to join the line, but Natasha stopped him with an upraised hand.

“You and your children are our guests,” the wise woman said, motioning to her daughter.
 
“Keisha and I will bring you a plate of food and something for the little ones.”

“Thank you, that is very kind,” Jeda said, nodding his head in appreciation.
 
He sat quietly while he waited for the food and watched the activities of the camp.
 

It was a well-organized troupe and he was impressed at how well they all accommodated each other.
 
While a few helped with serving the food, others had set up makeshift tables and stools.
 
The men and woman intermixed in the line and there was quite a bit of banter between them.
 
Overall, they seemed a happy lot.
 
Except for the episode with Mirabelle, Jeda saw no arguments or tensions between any of the clan members, although he had not failed to notice that they were watching him as well.
 
Nothing overt, but curious glances now and again as everyone settled down to eat, all of them leaving a wide berth between themselves and the
strangers
.
 

Can’t say that I blame them.
 
I would probably feel the same way about anybody with a black cloud hanging over
them
.
 
       

Soon enough, Natasha and Keisha came back with their food.
 
Natasha had made a mash of sorts for the babies, and Keisha had a heaping plate of meat and vegetables for them to share.
 
They both sat with Jeda and began to eat.
 
The babies, propped up beside Jeda, took quickly to the mash and were soon happily sated and gurgling away.
 
While Jeda was eating, he noticed Natasha paying extra attention to the twins.
 
Though he was not entirely comfortable with the interest she gave them, she was his hostess and he felt she deserved a little leeway.
 
When he finished his meal, he looked over to Keisha, who was finishing her own food.

“When you are finished, we can complete our deal,” he told her.

“I’m done,” she replied, pushing her plate aside.
 
“I’ve been waiting for you to finish.”

Jeda grinned at her eagerness.
 
“Very well then, we’ll need an area about fifty feet in length, but it doesn’t have to be very wide.”

Keisha nodded her head, pointing to an area off to the sides of the wagons.
 
“The men have set up that area for their bow practice, but I’m sure they won’t mind if we use it as well,” Keisha replied, looking at her mother.

When Natasha nodded her assent, Keisha jumped to her feet, ready to begin.

“OK, let’s go take a look,” Jeda said.
 
He bent down and picked up the twins.
 
If Natasha was surprised when Jeda reached for them, she did not show it nor did she offer to watch them while he instructed Keisha.
       

The area Keisha pointed out was plenty long enough for the lesson he would give her.
 
He doubted seriously whether she would be able to throw one of the knives fifteen feet with any accuracy, but he would give her the lesson as promised.
 
He put the babies down safely on the sidelines.

“Keisha, why don’t you move the bow targets to distances of ten, fifteen, and twenty feet.
 
That would be well enough for a good beginning of the basics.”